Compare the2022 Hyundai AccentVS 2022 MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Accent are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Accent has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Automatic Emergency Braking optional in the Accent as “Superior.” The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door scores only 4 points and is rated only “Advanced.”

The Accent SEL/Limited’s blind spot mirrors use wide-angle convex mirrors mounted in the corner of each side view mirror to reveal objects that may be in the driver’s blind spots. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a system to reveal objects in the driver’s blind spots.

Both the Accent and the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras and available daytime running lights.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rear impact and roof-crush tests, with its optional front crash prevention system, its “Acceptable” rating in the new passenger-side small overlap crash test, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Accent the rating of “Top Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 175 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door has not been fully tested, yet.

The Accent comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Accent 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than MINI covers the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 7 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are MINI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Accent’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Accent’s reliability 19 points higher than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Accent first among small cars in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 8th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 2 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked 10th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles, MINI is ranked 17th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than MINI vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 17 places higher in reliability than MINI.

The Hyundai Accent comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

The Accent has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better traction, the Accent has larger standard tires than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (185/65R15 vs. 175/65R15).

For better maneuverability, the Accent’s turning circle is 2.7 feet tighter than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door’s (33.5 feet vs. 36.2 feet).

The design of the Hyundai Accent amounts to more than styling. The Accent has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .28 Cd. That is lower than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (.29 to .32) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Accent get better fuel mileage.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Accent a Compact car, while the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door is rated a Subcompact.

The Accent has 6.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door (90.2 vs. 83.8).

The Accent has .7 inches more front legroom, 3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear legroom and 4.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Accent Limited’s trunk can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Accent offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Accent offers an optional center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Accent has standard rear heat vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Cooper Hardtop 4 Door doesn’t offer rear vents.

Insurance will cost less for the Accent owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Accent with a number “1” insurance rate while the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door is rated higher at a number “5” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Accent is less expensive to operate than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door because it costs $54 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Accent than the Cooper Hardtop 4 Door, including $243 less for a water pump, $143 less for a muffler, $65 less for front brake pads, $199 less for a starter, $166 less for a fuel pump, $237 less for front struts, $365 less for a timing belt/chain and $1033 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Accent will be $6807 to $7956 less than for the MINI Cooper Hardtop 4 Door.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Accent, based on reliability, safety and performance.